Science and development of eXTP in Spain
The collaboration between Europe and China, the embryo of the current eXTP proposal, began then, and several European countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic,Switzerland – are actively participating in the development of eXTP. Phase B of eXTP has already started both in China and in Europe, after having successfully passed an ESA review. The expected launch date of eXTP is 2027.
eXTP has a unique and unprecedented set of cutting-edge scientific instruments, which will allow for the first time simultaneous studies of polarimetry and spectroscopy with enormous temporal precision, in the energy range 0.5-30 keV. The instruments provided will allow to carry out key studies for the determination of the equation of state of matter in conditions of supra-nuclear density, the measurement of the effects of QED on highly magnetized stars and the study of accretion in the strong field gravity regime, in addition to multiple additional topics possible since eXTP will be an X-ray observatory. eXTP is therefore of interest to a large community working on neutron stars, isolated and in binary systems, neutron stars with extreme magnetic fields (magnetars), pulsars, stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, and many other high-energy topics.
The IEEC researcher at ICE-CSIC Margarita Hernanz is the PI of one of these instruments: the “Wide Field Monitor” (WFM), a set of 3 pairs of coded mask cameras, equipped with silicon detectors similar to those of the LAD instrument, covering a FoV of 3.7 sr and operating in the energy range of 2 to 50 keV.
Next week, a RIA meeting to publicize the science and possibilities that eXTP will offer to the Spanish astronomical community will be held at ICE-CSIC. The large involvement of Spain in eXTP offers a unique opportunity to get the most out of this mission, thanks to the detailed knowledge of the instrumentation.